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AR: (AT) Gate portal
Gate Portal: The safest way to walk from one star to another There are two branches of the Arcane Transport (AT) Discipline, which further break into four total methods. The AT routines do not include simple propulsion or movement enhancement. Rather AT routines are limited to movement solely through arcane means and all of them are particularly difficult to learn. There is no such thing as an entry level skill here and part of the process includes learning complex math until is completed as a subconscious level. Portal Branch The "portal" branch begins with no less than learning about the fabric of the universe, then learning how to bunch it up and tunnel through it, creating a bridge of negligible distance that may otherwise span an ''interstellar ''distance through relative space. Shorter distances are easier to navigate and portal tunnels are optimally compressed to zero distance before the passage is attempted. The major hazard of navigating the creation of the tunnel is gravity. The anchor points are created in a gravity well, and the gravity even on the same planet can differ. This affects alignment of the gates (the portal ends), and alignment affects stability. Further, over greater distances, gravity sources can pull the tunnel off course, whether those other sources are planets, stars or black holes. Gate Portals A gate portal is generally a two-way route, and initial generation is usually at one end. The base side must be stable within its gravity field during generation, and the target end may be visually designated by literally seeing through the portal to the other side. A gate may have solid backing behind it, but may not have partial blockage (the end of a portal may not start halfway into the ground or a wall). An uncharged gate may be carried through a portal to the far end, charged and synchronized to create a stable, long term-portal. Portal gates may be retuned or have multiple "settings" to facilitate connection to multiple other gates. Gates may be locked, preventing other portals from connecting to it. Similarly, certain areas may blanketed with an interference field, preventing portaling (or teleportation) into a given area. Gate Doors The gate itself is the defining characteristic of Gate Portals, and are effective doors into the passageway created at two points. The most efficient passageways are compressed to zero distance, giving the net effect of walking through a doorway into another world. There is no loss of cohesion or integration of an object that passes through a portal. The gates may take a number of forms, though the most common – and the most stable – uses a physical anchor at one or both portal points. A magician may begin building a gate portal with Arcanology and Gate portal AR ratings of at least 22. Once a physical gate is built, it will hold the portal as long as the magic is energized and the portal is tuned to a particular destination. An arcane gate may connect to a mundane gate at half efficiency. Temporary Gates Temporary gate portals may be established, with the portal lasting on a scale similar to conjuration decay rates. The portal will last as long as the energy provided, though the closure can be unforgiving, shunting matter in the tunnel to either end based on its position at the time of closure. An object (or being) that straddles the halfway point would be bifurcated by the process. It is possible, if using a temporary gate as an exigent escape route, that the collapse point could be weaponized against pursuit. Temporary Gate Decay rate range: * 30 seconds * 4-6 hours * 3-4 days * 3-weeks * 6-months * 5 years * 100 years * 1,000 years * 10,000 years Category:System Mechanics Category:ARCSYS Category:Skills Category:ARCSYS Routines